System and method for performing traffic process in integrated network of voice-over internet protocol network and public switched telephone network

• US 7,796,522 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2004
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Hyun Jeong, Yi, Yearn Gui, Kim, Dae Ung, Lee, Byung Sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, CARLOS R
• Application Number:
  US10/912,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-229, 370/229, 370/237
• US Class Current: 370/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

A system and method for performing a traffic process in an integrated network of a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network and a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) are provided. The system includes: a softswitch which has a plurality of ASPs (Application Server Processes), transmits a data signal to other nodes through an ASP that is selected from among the ASPs, and transmits a heartbeat request message when a CPU (Central Processing Unit) utilization ratio and an SCTP (System Control Transmission Protocol) level congestion of the ASPs exceed respective reference points according to AS (Application Server)/ASP information; and a signaling gateway which updates the reference points of the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion in response to the heartbeat request message and transmits a heartbeat acknowledgement message to the softswitch, and checks the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion for a plurality of active ASPs within a predetermined CIC (Circuit Identification Code) or SSN (Sub-System Number) range according to the AS/ASP information, to determine the selected ASP when the signaling gateway receives data signal from outside and traffic is distributed.

Claims

1. A system for performing a traffic process in an integrated network of a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network and a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), the system comprising:

a softswitch which has a plurality of ASPs (Application Server Processes), transmits a data signal to other nodes through a selected ASP that is selected from among the plurality of ASPs, and transmits a heartbeat request message when a CPU (Central Processing Unit) utilization ratio and an SCTP (System Control Transmission Protocol) level congestion of one of the ASPs exceed respective reference points according to stored AS (Application Server)/ASP information; and

a signaling gateway which updates the reference points of the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion that are stored in the AS/ASP information in response to the heartbeat request message, transmits a heartbeat acknowledgement message that includes the updated reference points to the softswitch, and checks the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion for a plurality of active ASPs within a predetermined CIC (Circuit Identification Code) or SSN (Sub-System Number) range according to the AS/ASP information, to determine the selected ASP when the signaling gateway receives data signal from outside and traffic is distributed,

wherein the signaling gateway stores the data signal in a queue for a recovery time when no active ASP is found, the data signal is transmitted to an adjacent node if an active ASP is found within the recovery time, and is destroyed if no active ASP is found within the recovery time, and

wherein the signaling gateway distributes the traffic to an active ASP having a lower CPU utilization ratio than a critical value among a plurality of active ASPs, when there are the plurality of active ASPs among the ASPs, and then, again distributes the traffic to an active ASP having the lowest SCTP level congestion when there is more than one active ASP having the lower CPU utilization ratio than the critical value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signaling gateway changes an ASP not receiving the heartbeat request message to an inactive state such that the inactive ASP is not selected next time, and such that when the inactive ASP is changed back to an active state, the active ASP can be selected starting from the next data signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference point of the CPU utilization ratio is classified into a high reference point and a low reference point, the high reference point of the CPU utilization ratio is a CPU utilization ratio of an ASP having a higher CPU utilization ratio than a corresponding ASP, and the low reference point of the CPU utilization ratio is a CPU utilization ratio of an ASP having a lower CPU utilization ratio than the corresponding ASP.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference point of the SCTP level congestion is classified into a high reference point and a low reference point, the high reference point of the SCTP level congestion is an SCTP level congestion of an ASP having a higher SCTP level congestion than a corresponding ASP, and the low reference point of the SCTP level congestion is an SCTP level congestion of an ASP having a lower SCTP level congestion than the corresponding ASP.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the signaling gateway comprises an AS management process for storing the AS/ASP information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the AS information comprises AS state, AS mode, ASP index, ASP state, routing key, CPU utilization ratio, and SCTP level congestion.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the ASP information comprises ASP flag, association IDentification (ID), ASP state, CPU utilization ratio, and SCTP level congestion.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the heartbeat request message is comprised of heartbeat information TLV (Type, Length, Value), and has the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is comprised of type, chunk flags, heartbeat acknowledgement length and heartbeat information TLV, and comprises the low point of CPU utilization ratio, the high point of CPU utilization ratio, the low point of SCTP level congestion and the high point of SCTP level congestion.

10. A method of performing a traffic process in an integrated network of a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network and a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), the method comprising:

receiving a data signal from outside;

checking a CPU utilization ratio and an SCTP level congestion of a plurality of active ASPs in a softswitch that are within a predetermined CIC or SSN range according to stored AS/ASP information, to select one of the active ASPs;

distributing traffic to the selected ASP; and

transmitting the data signal to other nodes through the selected ASP,

wherein checking a CPU utilization ratio and an SCTP level congestion further comprises;

receiving a heartbeat request message from the softswitch when the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion of one of the ASPs exceed respective reference points according to the AS/ASP information;

updating the reference points of the CPU utilization ratio and the SCTP level congestion that are stored in the AS/ASP information in response to the heartbeat request message and transmitting a heartbeat acknowledgement message that includes the updated reference points to the softswitch;

storing the data signal in a queue for a recovery time when no active ASP is found, the data signal being transmitted to an adjacent node if an active ASP is found within the recovery time, and being destroyed if no active ASP is found within the recovery time; and

wherein in the distributing of traffic, the traffic is distributed to an active ASP having a lower CPU utilization ratio than a critical value among a plurality of active ASPs, when there are the plurality of active ASPs among the ASPs, and then, the traffic is again distributed to an active ASP having the lowest SCTP level congestion when there are more than one active ASP having the lower CPU utilization ratio than the critical value 0.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein in the distributing of traffic, an ASP that does not receive the heartbeat request message is changed to an inactive state such that the inactive ASP is not selected next time, and such that when the inactive ASP is changed back to an active state, the active ASP can be selected starting from a next data signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the reference point of the CPU utilization ratio is classified into a high reference point and a low reference point, the high reference point of the CPU utilization ratio is a CPU utilization ratio of an ASP having a higher CPU utilization ratio than a corresponding ASP, and the low reference point of the CPU utilization ratio is a CPU utilization ratio of an ASP having a lower CPU utilization ratio than the corresponding ASP.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the reference point of the SCTP level congestion is classified into a high reference point and a low reference point, the high reference point of the SCTP level congestion is an SCTP level congestion of an ASP having a higher SCTP level congestion than a corresponding ASP, and the low reference point of the SCTP level congestion is an SCTP level congestion of an ASP having a lower SCTP level congestion than the corresponding ASP.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the AS information comprises AS state, AS mode, ASP index, ASP state, routing key, CPU utilization ratio, and SCTP level congestion.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the ASP information comprises ASP flag, association IDentification (ID), ASP state, CPU utilization ratio, and SCTP level congestion.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the heartbeat request message is comprised of heartbeat information TLV (Type, Length, Value), and comprises CPU utilization ratio and SCTP level congestion.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is comprised of type, chunk flags, heartbeat acknowledgement length and heartbeat information TLV, and comprises the low point of CPU utilization ratio, the high point of CPU utilization ratio, the low point of SCTP level congestion and the high point of SCTP level congestion.